Object of Obsession
by Eclipse of Thunder
Summary: Police AU. Kei is a computer forensics specialist for the Karasuno Police department. He normally enjoys his quiet life, until he started receiving creepy photos from an obsessed stalker. Around the same time, a band of well-known thieves appears to be in town, causing strife in her work life as well. Are they related? Pairing: Kei/Daichi Can be disturbing. Caution.
1. Red Ink

The slam of a car door reverberated in the otherwise quiet street. It was 1 am and Kei had just gotten home from a long shift at the Police Station. His house was modest, but even the usually unimpressed Kei Tsukishima felt relief and pride as he made his way to his front door. Kei, currently 25 years old, was working for the Karasuno Police force as a Computer forensic analyst and as a hacker. He had only been in their employ for about a year, but he found the work mostly easy and it suited his lax lifestyle. However, the quiet lifestyle that he had set in place for himself since he chose to work in a smaller district, had recently been disturbed.

Kei's breath hitched as he saw an envelope taped to his door. 'White envelope, completely blank, and a sinister feeling. Shit… just who is leaving this for me.' Carefully he pulls the envelope and tape from his door. Before risking opening it, he pulls his phone from his pocket and shines the flashlight on it. Looking from below, it looked like there was nothing but a picture inside. 'Six. Six bloody pictures now.' That's right. In the past two months, five more envelopes had been left for Kei. Each had a single polaroid with an even more cryptic message on the back… penned in red ink.

Kei turned off his phone's flashlight and unlocked his front door. As far as he could tell, whoever was leaving the envelopes hadn't broken in his house at the very least. He quietly set down the envelope on his kitchen table along with his keys. With a great sigh, he opened his phone's contacts. 'There isn't much I can do but call 'him' over. Not like I would know what to look for when it comes to break-ins anyway.' He ran his fingers through his hair as his phone began to make the call.

A short ten minutes later, Kei heard the door to a car slam shut. Between the both of them, it is a wonder neither of them gave a shit about the neighbors, he mused. 'Must be from working at the Police Station.' Kei stood from the kitchen chair and stretched his tired limbs. Slowly he lumbered to the front door and opened it to welcome his bulky companion. "Are you alright, Kei?" The groggy voice that he had heard over the phone not fifteen minutes ago was completely gone. Kei looked down at the shorter man whose eyes were darting around the premise. "I'm fine Daichi. I'll put on a pot of tea while you do your rounds."

Daichi, 30 years old, was the Police Captain of Karasuno. Everyone trusted him with their lives since he was incredibly reliable and adept at his job, hence why he was a Police Captain at such a young age. Kei left the man to his own devices since he knew the house almost as well as Kei. Shuffling to the kitchen, he filled the coffee maker with water, but instead of coffee grounds, he put in his favorite Earl Grey Tea leaves. Once the pot had been filled with that delicious smelling tea, he grabbed their favorite mugs out of the cabinet. Kei's had a cute stegosaurus on it and Daichi's had an equally cute bear. This wasn't a side of himself that Kei showed to many people. His best friend Tadashi obviously knew about his quirks, but he wasn't about to bring in his favorite mug to the station. Daichi… had just happened upon it during his many 'visits'.

Right as he finished pouring the tea when he felt two familiar arms wrap around his middle. Daichi leaned into Kei and rested his head on his shoulder. "I didn't see any sort of tampering with the other entrances, nor any evidence that someone else had been in your place." Instead of relaxing into Daichi's embrace like he was conditioned too, he grunted in dismay and his frown deepened. He certainly didn't like the idea of having this weird stalker. 'Can't this bastard just tell me what the fuck he wants… these cryptic messages are costing me my precious sleep.' "Shit, this bastard is seriously pissing me off, Kei. Grab your work clothes for tomorrow. I'm taking you home with me tonight." As he was released from Daichi's muscular arms he turned and placed the bear mug in his now open hands.

He knew better than argue with him and he was too damn tired to spend another sleepless night at home. Before making his way to his bedroom, he opened the fridge and chucked a few ice cubes into his hot tea. Too tired to lift his legs all the way up, he shuffled past Daichi and mumbled a 'thank you' on the way past. Of course, he didn't miss the older man's shit-eating grin. For some odd reason, Daichi ENJOYED Kei's presence, like he was playing some weird fucking game and winning. Kei knew he could be a cynical bastard, so for the life of him, he couldn't figure out why the likes of Tadashi and Daichi wanted him around.

Wiping such pathetic thoughts from his mind, he clunked his tea down on the dresser after taking a generous gulp. Not wanting to waste much more of his precious sleeping time, he slipped out a pair of grey slacks and a dark blue sweater. He made quick work of all the accessories and slipped them all into his overnight bag. He didn't have to wear a uniform like the police officers, he was more like one of the lab geeks. His supervisor, Asahi Azumane, was quite relaxed as far as what they could wear. Honestly, he was probably too scared of conflict to say otherwise, but Kei wasn't going to question it.

With one last careless glance around his room, he tossed his overnight bag over his shoulder and shuffled towards the kitchen, mug in hand. Unsurprisingly, Daichi had just finished washing up his own mug and the teapot. 'Ideal wife.' Kei often found himself thinking silly things like that in Daichi's presence. The man knew how to take care of 'difficult children' as Sugawara lovingly coined the station residents. "You have that look in your eyes again, Kei. I strangely feel like I should be offended by whatever you are thinking." Lips lifted in a teasing smirk, Kei could do nothing but shrug his shoulders. He certainly had a penchant for ruffling feathers and he didn't plan to change.

They took separate cars to Daichi's house, but not before Daichi did a thorough check on his car. Though he hardly imagined the stalker snuck into his car in this short amount of time, he didn't question the expert. On the way, Kei had to turn up his normal music just to keep himself awake. At least Daichi had been sleeping a couple of hours before Kei woke him, it wasn't quite fair.

Another ten minutes later Kei stood at the front door of Daichi's home waiting for the man to finish fiddling with his keys. The distinct sound of the lock woke Kei from the haze he hadn't known that he slipped into. Daichi guided the tired man into his home and lead him to the kitchen to sit down. 'Of course… the photo first.' Disgruntled, Kei knew that Daichi would want to examine the photo before allowing Kei to sleep. He let his forehead thunk down onto the offending table. 'Fucking stalker…'

Daichi returned with latex gloves and unsealed the envelope, revealing the polaroid. Kei wasn't surprised when Daichi grumbled in irritation. Hell, he was glad that frustration wasn't directed at him. He had seen the irate Daichi a couple of times at the station and that was certainly enough for him. "This bastard… it's just a fucking photo of a hand on a keyboard…" Kei took the photo from his hand, not concerned about contaminating it since it wasn't an official case for the Karasuno police. "Our match." The words on the back of the photo were simple and complex at the same time. It was clearly a message for Kei, but he didn't have a bloody clue what the hell they were hinting at. "The fuck? Are they saying we match, because we both like computers? What kind of grade school ass fuckery is this?"

"This one is just as cryptic as the last five… I don't know Kei. You should really allow me to open a case on this. Maybe one of the guys can make heads or tails of this." Kei shot him a nasty glare. He certainly did not want the 'guys' to know about his predicament… especially Tadashi. That idiot would worry himself to death or worse he wouldn't give Kei any peace. "No way in hell." He abruptly stood up, signaling the end of the discussion, and made his way to Daichi's bedroom.

By the time Daichi entered his room Kei was already passed out under the covers. He sighed with a sweet smile gracing his lips as he looked upon him. 'Why am I so pleased that he feels so at home in my bed now?' He undressed and joined him.

As soon as Kei pulled into work he could hear the bickering of the famous duo, Kageyama and Hinata. The two seriously could grate his nerves like no one else. Sighing to himself, he slid his headphones over his ears just before entering the station. It was his secret, if he had his headset on then he didn't have to greet people. Of course, this never deterred Yachi or Kiyoko as they happily waved at him as he entered the building. "Morning Tsukishima." He nodded at the two, not really wanting to use his voice on useless greeting. The forensics lab was in the basement and he made record time heading down there.

Unsurprisingly Azumane was already there, pouring over their latest jewelry theft evidence. Kei was only a computer expert, he didn't handle other evidence and their lack of help left Azumane with the bulk of the work. However, Azumane was highly regarded in his field and he didn't doubt the older man had a handle on the situation despite his panicky nature. Kei mumbled a 'morning' toward his supervisor who just kindly smiled and repeated the greeting. They didn't spend a lot of time getting to know each other. Kei assumed that his direct and sadistic nature kept the gentle soul at an arm's length.

He tossed his stuff down beside his workspace and immediately headed towards the coffee machine. He started the pot working within moments. Azumane was hopeless when it came to making coffee. He would somehow find ways to make it boil over, burn it, and one time he accidentally broke the pot. Needless to say, Kei took charge of the coffee making.

A few moments later and the light flicked off on the machine, indicating that it had run its course. Kei carefully filled the two mugs nearby with the coffee. He added some half and half to his cup but left the other one black. Taking a tentative sip of his, he hissed as it burnt his tongue. Azumane tried his best not to snicker. Kei did this every morning, he really didn't have the tongue for hot temperatures and he was always too eager to get the caffeine into his system.

Azumane gratefully accepted the black coffee, taking a deep whiff for good measure. "They finally sent the video feed from the jewelry theft. You know Daichi will want to have your report ASAP." 'Indeed.' Kei thought bitterly to himself. His normally calm days at work were also being interrupted. Not by the stalker, no, but a band of traveling thieves. The same group was stealing countless heirlooms, old artifacts, and even children's toys. It was clear the group had a talented hacker, as they managed to disable alarms and cameras alike.

The department had breathed a sigh of relief when they had managed to get at least one video of the recent jewelry theft. Kei wasn't as enthusiastic. They had been flawless up until this point… he didn't think it was an accident that they missed this camera. He assumed it would be some sort of taunt or the thieves wanted to play some sick game with them. Either way, he grunted a response to Azumane and went back to his desk to get to work.

A couple of hours later and the idiot duo came barreling down the hallway. It wasn't a daily occurrence, thank god, but the two were always eager to outdo each other. Hinata ran up to Kei who promptly pulled up his headphones. Hinata stomped his foot in irritation since this was a common response. "Tsukishimaaaa! I got a great lead, come on! You have to solve the case with this before Kageyama can." "Tch." Hinata spun around and looked imploringly at Azumane. "Tsukishima…"

Kei let out a rather large and dramatic sigh and held out his hand for whatever Hinata had found that most likely would be useless, like the man himself. An obscene flash drive was placed in his hands. Of course, it was bagged and tagged, but Kei could easily see that it was shaped like a penis. 'God, why would someone even make something like this.' He grabbed some gloves out of one of his drawers and removed that disgusting thing from the evidence bag. "Which case is this from?" Hinata wasn't good with case numbers, but Kei had an uncanny ability to recall case numbers anyway. "Uh, it was the one where the guy assaulted his neighbor and accused him of being a pedophile."

Kei plugged the flash drive into a separate laptop, it was disconnected from their server in case anything potentially malicious needed to be looked at. The drive wasn't password encrypted, surprisingly, but that didn't mean that some of the files wouldn't be. However, he wouldn't be doing anything until that annoying orange-head left him the hell alone. He leveled a glare at Hinata, clearly telling him it was time to go.

Hinata sulked, wanting to be there the moment his discovery proved what this guy really was. His pouting didn't last long as Kageyama began goading him into a fight. He left the lab all the while hurling insults and better than tho banter. With a heavy sigh, Kei looked at the files on the flash drive. The file names were enough to make you sick. He didn't need to look at all the photos, a couple was enough.

What caught his eyes was a folder named after the guy who assaulted him, well, just his last name. Disturbing pictures were taken in secret of the man's two young daughters. Kei could feel the bile rise up his throat. There were not any inappropriate pictures of the neighbor children, but the intent seemed quite clear, especially considered some of the other files. Kei closed the files and pulled the flash drive. He carefully placed it back in the evidence bag and closed it. Switching to his main computer he pulled up some blank paperwork for the documentation of his findings.

Kei was so diligently working on the paperwork that he didn't hear Daichi sneaking up on him. He nearly jumped out of his skin when a hand came down on his shoulder. He leveled the most hateful glare he could muster at his captain. Azumane looked rather uncomfortable with the glare and a laughing Daichi. "Tch." Was all that came out of Kei's mouth before returning to his work. He filled in a couple more lines and hit the print button. When he stood to get his work off the printer he finally mumbled a 'what' towards Daichi.

"Tsukishima, did you manage to finish your report on the video from the jewelry theft?" It was strange how used the two of them were to switch to their last names when it came to work. No one knew that they were sleeping together, and Kei seriously doubted that any of them suspected a thing. "No, I took a break from that to work the flash drive from the supposed pedophile case." Daichi nodded, understanding that Kei was the type to work in spurts.

He revelled in the face Daichi made when he picked up the offending flash drive from his desk. "Well, that's a little more than just disturbing." "Hn." Kei agreed quietly while he signed his report. "Here, the official report." He shoved the paperwork into the Captain's hands. "That's all well and good, but I came to invite you to lunch today." It was a statement, a fact. Daichi had lunch with everyone at the office now and then. He saw it as his duty as the Captain to keep up with the lives of those under him.

Kei sighed in his usual dramatic fashion and picked up his wallet and keys from his desk. Daichi grinned and shoved both the flash drive and paperwork at Asahi. "Asahi, you'll take care of this for me, right?" Despite the two of them being good enough friends to be on a first name basis, Asahi always seemed to cower from Daichi. He frantically shook his head yes. The demon smile crept over Daichi's features. "Thank you!" He chimes in a sugar-coated voice that in no way hid his intentions.

Kei ignored the shiver that ran through Azumane as they left. Daichi greeted everyone that they walked past, while Kei did his best to ignore them all. He did, however, give a nod to his best friend Yamaguchi which brightened the man's freckled face. No one suspected a thing, they all just assumed that Kei was chosen to be the sacrifice this time. A perfect cover.

Daichi dragged him to the usual cafe and the owner nodded towards them as the took the booth in the far back. It was the perfect place to talk without being overheard. The owner followed them over and nodded firmly at both of them. "The usual?" A familiarity that Kei didn't particularly care for, but obliged anyway. "Yes, thank you," Daichi spoke for both of them. "Amazing how she can remember each member of the station's order." Kei wondered if it was actually all that amazing. They all were regulars to the point of annoyance.

"Kei." There it was. Daichi honestly wanted his attention now. He graced him by turning his eyes upon him. "Kei, I want to talk to you about something serious. I… I want you to move in with me." A dramatic pause for the information to sink in and Kei needed it. Daichi knew that if he didn't just breach the topic right away, Kei would find a way to change the topic. "We aren't even dating, not for real at least." It was true, they had only hooked up when they discovered each other's sexuality at a gay establishment in the town over. It was a 'thing' of convenience. They both needed the release, but the chase was exhausting and often not worth it.

"I want to… date for real, that is. However, I'm only bringing this up because I don't feel comfortable with you living alone while that person is stalking you. This is the sixth picture for Christ's sake." Daichi had been doing his best to keep his voice low and level, but the emotion had been cracking through. Honestly, the pictures were creepy enough, but then there was the writing on the back. Inked in a red pen or marker so dark it reminded him of dry blood.

Daichi had been more affectionate the past few months and Kei had suspected his feelings may have changed… but he had dared not address it. A relationship was something he had always avoided, ever since he saw the emotional wreckage that it had caused his brother. "Hn." He needed time to think, but the look he saw in Daichi's eyes implored him for an answer.

Just as Kei opened his mouth the owner came over with their food. He was grateful for the save but knew it didn't grant him much time. The silence grew uncomfortable as they dug into the food while it was hot. Daichi knew Kei well enough that he would get an answer once he finished, so he decided to not press him while they enjoyed the food.

"No." The word rang in Daichi's ear and it was painful. He held back any comments by lightly biting his tongue. "I don't know how to respond to your feelings. I didn't go into this thinking about spending the rest of our lives together or something silly like that. The no, however, is for living with you. I enjoy my peace and quiet. It's my space and I need it if I am ever going to relax."

"Then, about letting me open a case…" "No." Daichi could tell that Kei was getting aggravated with him since he whipped out his wallet and put the money on the table for the bill. Daichi always paid. Kei stood up and left ahead of him and the shorter man had to scramble to catch up. Before they got to the station, Daichi pressed his luck and stopped Kei. "At least stayover tonight, let me comfort you." Kei ignored the heat that was burning at his ears. He wasn't used to how Daichi referred to sex, honestly, it would be easier if Daichi just came out and said something like "Let me fuck you."

"Okay." Kei bit his lip, and turned away from his Captain and made his way to and in the station. He never saw the stupidly happy grin on Daichi's face.

Author's note: I hope everyone enjoyed it! I know it is an uncommon pairing, but I really wanted to play around with it… and also create a very stressful situation. Let me know what you think.


	2. Deja Vu

Kei laid curled up in Daichi's sheets. Sweat beaded his brow and he breathed deeply. Knowing Daichi you wouldn't expect him to be so… full of vigor. Daichi returned from the bathroom with a warm washcloth and began to lightly wipe Kei down. "Were you especially rough, because you knew I had tomorrow off?" The grumpy mumbling only brought a smile to Daichi's face. "That would be pretty responsible for your Captain, huh? Only rough on you when you didn't have to work the next day." "Smug bastard."

Eventually, Kei had enough strength to get up out of bed and wait in the living room for Daichi to cook them dinner. Daichi wasn't the best cook, but his food was at least edible. He typically stuck to easy dishes like a simple pasta with sauce. Daichi could eat pasta for every meal… just another reason Kei was happy they didn't actually live together. Kei preferred to eat his own cooking if he was being honest, but Daichi's rigorous workout had made that impossible tonight.

Just as Kei was about to heave a large sigh, Daichi piped up, "One day, I swear you aren't going to act like it's such a bother." "Tch, what do you mean 'act'?" Daichi didn't reply back, he just let a gentle smile grace his lips… one that Kei couldn't see.

"You say the most unexpected things. Weren't you just using me as a replacement for Sugawara?" "Pffft, you're not a good stand-in. You're too tall, grumpy, and way more erotic than I ever pictured Suga." The crease between Kei's brows deepened. 'What the hell is that supposed to mean? Are you telling me that I'm not as good as Sugawara or that you're over him?' Kei played his normal card of indifference, even though he was indeed bothered by that comment. He didn't enter this arrangement with Daichi with commitment in mind. Hell, he didn't expect to ever settle down.

"I'm done, Kei. Let me plate up the spaghetti and I'll bring it over." "Hn." Kei didn't push the topic. He felt that the subject of Sugawara was becoming more sensitive to him than it was for Daichi. When they first decided to be convenient fuck buddies, Daichi readily admitted that he mostly just wanted someone who didn't mind being a replacement for someone. Kei didn't mind. Daichi wanted to not think about the fact that he couldn't have Sugawara and Kei just wanted an easy fuck.

However, Daichi had recently been mentioning a 'proper' relationship with Kei. It started about two months ago and he would casually mention it here or there. Sometimes it resulted in the two of them fighting, but it didn't interrupt the original purpose of their relations. Kei didn't like it though… the fact that Daichi who had been pushing for a real relationship had yet to speak about his current feelings about Sugawara. Had his feelings changed? Was it Kei who now occupied his heart? He hated having these thoughts… they were so very unlike him.

Kei didn't think he was the type to settle down, but he sure as hell wasn't gonna enter a 'relationship' as a replacement. He was too greedy for that, though he would never tell anyone that. He idly spun the fork in the spaghetti until it had clumped enough to be shoved in his mouth. He heard Daichi sigh wearily from across the table. "You only eat like that when you're upset. And by that, I mean like a barbarian." He received a glare from the blonde that clearly said that it was his fault. He smiled bitterly.

Daichi wasn't oblivious to why Kei was upset, it was just a conversation he wasn't ready to have. He often felt pathetic since he wanted to officially make Kei his, but was too much of a coward to let go of his long-time unrequited love. He felt really horrible for stringing Kei along with his whims. Kei did have an incredibly dear place in his heart, but it was oh so different from Sugawara's.

They finish eating in silence and Kei begrudgingly brings his plate to the sink, leaves it there for Daichi, and goes to take an actual shower. Sure, being wiped down was sufficient but Kei likes to be absolutely clean. He certainly had cleanliness standards that his partner did not.

Daichi waited until he heard the shower kick on until he allowed himself a bitter self-deprecating smile. He slowly made his way to the sink to wash the dishes. "I'm honestly the worst, aren't I?" Sometimes Daichi felt the need to state his negativity out in the open. He knew that no one was listening, but hearing the words reach his ears felt like a kind of punishment. He let the bitterness consume his chest as he scrubbed the dishes.

It didn't take him long to finish the dishes, so he decided to brew a pot of green tea. They both needed a pick-me-up and he still wanted to take a look at the photos from Kei's stalker again. He couldn't let go of the feeling that something bad was going to happen if he didn't do something. That heavy feeling rolled around in his gut as he went about making the tea. Having Kei near him did little to ease him since he knew he couldn't be with him 24/7.

As he set out their mugs, a carbon copy of the ones they kept at Kei's residence, he heard the shower die down. Daichi went to the room in which he referred to as his 'office'. In all honesty, it was just a messy room that held all kinds of paperwork and had a desk. He recalled Kei's reaction when he first saw it. Something along the lines of, "I can't believe you live in such squalor… I seriously regret coming here." He had had a scowl on his face for the rest of the night. Though, Daichi remembered the deliciousness of making that scowl falter as he made Kei his over and over again that night.

Wiping the unnecessary thoughts from his brain, before he needed to jump Kei again, he went to the cluttered bookshelf on the left of the desk. He pulled a book simply titled 'Diary' and snatched the evidence bags neatly tucked within its pages. His heart hammered when he looked upon the images, in fact, he could feel the thumping all the way to his fingertips. "Who the fuck are you? What is it that you want?"

Daichi hadn't even noticed that his hand was trembling until he dropped the book on the floor. He took a deep breath and composed himself. He picked the book back up and set it on the shelf. He closed the door behind him so that when Kei passed it he didn't have to suffer any of the slings that he would be itching to throw at Daichi.

By the time Daichi returned, Kei was sitting on the living room couch nursing a steaming dinosaur mug of green tea. He noticed that his cup had been prepared as well and sat next to Kei himself. He smiled brightly and took the seat next to him. "Thanks, Kei." He carefully set the evidence down on the table before gratefully picking up the mug. He could smell a hint of honey in the air, Kei had a sweet tooth that he dared not let anyone at work know of. He was happy that he felt comfortable enough to let these well-kept 'secrets' be spilled.

After a moment of comfortable silence, Kei scoffed just having noticed the pictures. "This again…" "Sorry, Kei. I wish we didn't need to be concerned about this sicko either." Kei reached over to the pile and started to place them in the order received. There were now a total of five if you include the picture from last night.

The first picture was of Kei walking out of his favorite bookstore. There were other people walking around him, but he was in the center of the Polaroid sporting his favorite headphones and a brand new book. It was hard to see, but the book was definitely a book about paleontology, a secret hobby of his. Kei could trace the picture back to seven weeks ago, from the receipt of the book. He flipped the picture over and in messy and what a profiler might call excitable scrawl was, "OUR MOMENT". The handwriting seems to indicate that the stalker had clearly been very excited at the moment he captured the picture.

Really the only thing the two of them could discern from this photo was that the stalker had probably first seen Kei on that day. Though Kei doesn't recall having talked to anyone, except the shopkeeper… and seeing as you can barely see a glimpse of that man in the store, chances were low he had anything to do with this. Polaroid cameras were not all that commonplace anymore, but that didn't help them narrow down the culprits. They had no reliable way or discrete ways of tracing anyone who owned one.

Kei sifted through the photos again and this time pulled out the next photo he received. This time it was a picture of the back of Kei's head. He was seated in the movie theater, a familiar head of messy brown hair to his left and clear picture of Godzilla on the screen. The person sitting beside him was Yamaguchi, his best friend, and fellow co-worker. The disturbing part about this photo was the distance from his head. The stalker was clearly sitting right behind him, but for the love of all that is good, Kei can't remember ever turning around and seeing the guy. A Polaroid picture would have been loud and had a flash, but it was clear from the action on the screen that it would have been easy to miss.

He slowly flipped the photo over to reveal a much more subdued handwriting that stated, "OUR DATE". Truly. Stalkers were known for being quite delusional. Whenever caught they often spout off like broken records about how serious their relationship with the victim was. How they were in love with each other. It was clear this person was not so different. Despite having gone to the movie with someone else, not sitting next to each other, and never saying a word… it was a date to this person. "Sick." Disgust laced his voice and Daichi just nodded his head with his pale skin. The handwriting was much calmer and it almost gave Kei the impression of confidence. The stalker was sure that his 'date' enjoyed the movie with them.

Kei selected the third photo from the remaining three. It was a profile picture of Kei while at one of his favorite diners. The photo was of him dunking a french fry into his strawberry milkshake. There was another hand on the table he was sitting at. It wasn't enough detail to tell who he was sitting with, but the only people who knew this habit were Daichi and Yamaguchi. No doubt this was another date to the stalker… one where he discovered a hidden habit of Kei's. Kei had a lot of habits that he thought no one knew about, so he was rather upset that someone he didn't even know had discovered them.

Once again, in a calm and confident scrawl on the back of the photo was "OUR HABITS". Kei couldn't fathom what clues they could have gained from this photo. The photo was in a fairly popular location and the fact that the stalker was indicating that they too dunk fries in milkshakes seemed unimportant. There are a lot of stalkers who pick up habits of their marks and claim them to be theirs as well. It is just another way they try to imply that they were 'meant for each other'. Shared habits weren't something to be proud about, personally Kei liked to enjoy his differences from those around him.

Looking at the photos always put Daichi in quite a foul mood. He angrily snatched up the two remaining photos from the table and put them in order. The fourth photo was just a picture from a movie that was of a kissing scene. Kei had searched high and low and found the movie was a decently popular romance film. The main character was a female computer techie who worked for the police. She was also blonde and wore glasses, they both assumed the stalker was relating their 'love story' to this movie. On the back was written, "OUR FATE". "This fucker has quite the imagination if they think I am like that girl in the film." "Yeah, that's for sure. Her character was nice and maybe a little weepy. It would be an R rated film for you… even if they only included your ability to curse."

Kei tried to keep the sneer on his face, but his lips threatened to smile. Hell, that was a compliment to him. He swatted Daichi on the shoulder before plucking the newest addition from his hand and placing it at the end. "The only thing we really know about this stalker is that he knows where I live, likes Polaroid cameras, has an interest in sappy love movies, and might be a tech person." "Really Kei… we should open a case. At least we could have the guys keep an eye on you when you are out." "No freaking way. I would never be rid of Hinata and Kageyama again. I would rather die." He could picture the two of them clamoring to protect him only to hold it over his head for the rest of his life.

Daichi allowed himself a sigh, for what felt like the umpteenth time that evening. "I am worried about your safety." Kei couldn't deny him that. Hell, he was concerned himself, but it wasn't in his nature to ask for help or to 'appear' weak. "Let's just go to sleep and think about this with fresh minds later. It isn't all that easy to concentrate while I can still feel my ass throbbing." "Shit, Kei!" Daichi choked on his tea. He certainly did have a way of making the older man blush.

It was a brand new day and Daichi couldn't believe that he had to spend his very first minutes at work lecturing the two wild children. "Nishinoya, I can't believe I have to tell you AGAIN that you cannot practice this 'rolling thunder' maneuver in the hallways! You knocked Yachi over and the poor girl had a big welt on her forehead from slamming into the wall." Nishinoya wilted under his captain's lecturing, he felt bad enough about hurting the young girl. Meanwhile, Tanaka shifted uncomfortably beside the shorter man. "And to think you had this bald menace goading you on the whole time. You two are incorrigible. Both of you will be helping fill Yachi's position today since she won't be back until she is checked at the hospital. And I swear to God if you cause Shimizu any trouble I will have a stack of paperwork for each of you." He sent a sharp look in Ennoshita's direction, knowing that the man was the only person he could trust their oversight to. "Ennoshita, supervise them."

The two hyperactive men paled considerably at the thought of having to process a whole stack of paperwork. They loathed completing paperwork normally. Chikara shooed them away and as they scurried off to go help Shimizu. Chikara gave Daichi a worried look before following his rowdy comrades. Daichi felt his heart skip at that look. Chikara was great at reading those around him and he worried he could read his thoughts. Wiping the worry from his mind the best he could, he made his way to his office. A stack of files littered his desk and he moved them as best he could to clear a spot to slam his head against. He let out a long groan after a few seconds. The situation with Kei's stalker was taking up more and more space in his brain and he was worried it might be affecting his work.

Daichi tensed when he heard his door open. Only two people walked into his office without knocking… and since Kei had today off he didn't need to look up to know who it was. "Well if that isn't a pathetic sight, I don't know what is!" A satisfied laugh followed. Daichi sighed as he lifted his head to look at Sugawara's shit eating grin. "What's the matter, Daichi? Hungover?" This statement was accompanied by his captain's mug being clunked down in front of him. "I'm not sure if you are being nice or vindictive, Suga." Either way he picked up the mug as his heart started to thump just a little bit harder. He loved Sugawara's was no way in hell that he would ever confess to Suga, but he couldn't help these feelings either way. If Kei was at work today he would have probably run to the man for comfort that only he could provide.

"What? I'm offended! I am always nice and pleasant." Daichi scoffed. "Bullshit." Sugawara let out a pleased laugh. "Ahaha. Well, can't blame a man for trying. So, what's really up? I don't smell the stench of alcohol on you, but something is clearly eating you up." Everyday Daichi considered just telling someone from the station about Kei's situation, but he never did. It was a betrayal he could never do since he cared too deeply about how Kei felt about him. "I cannot say, but I am working on it. Thanks for worrying Suga." The silver haired man huffed, but did not push the issue. Daichi's mental state was almost as strong as Tanaka… and that was saying something.

"Well, let's say you tell me a story about a friend of yours?" Daichi chuckled at the absurdity of that statement. Everyone knew about the stories that involve an unnamed 'friend' in which it was quite obvious you are referring to yourself. Though, Daichi was sorely tempted by the thought. "My friend has a lover." Sugawara, mid drink, coughed violently as he had accidentally inhaled some of the coffee in shock. Daichi gave him a withering look. "It is so strange for my 'friend' to have a lover. He is a good looking guy if I do say so myself." "Sure, sure, Daichi. Just didn't expect your problem… I mean your friend's problem to be about love trouble." Daichi suddenly felt like he should stop, but it really was eating him alive.

"Well, he has a lover and said lover has a… stalker. But they won't let me open a case, and I can't help being worried about it." Sugawara was having trouble accepting that Daichi had a lover that he didn't know about, but that quickly left him once he heard the word stalker. "Daichi… that sounds serious. Have you been able to come up with anything on the stalker?" Daichi nodded his head towards the open door. Suga taking the hint closed the door and took a seat across from Daichi. "I haven't been able to find anything. They haven't noticed anything strange when they go out, but nonetheless these polaroid pictures keep appearing of them on their door." Suga shot up from his chair. "What did you say?" The words came out hushed by the immense shock Suga felt. "Daichi, do they work in IT or forensics at all?"

Daichi's blood ran cold. What did Suga know? "Yes." The words leaving his mouth made him feel incredibly nauseous. He wished Sugawara would just tell him what he knew since every second felt suffocating. Sugawara after letting the shock sink in stood up and demanded Daichi move so he could use the computer. He opened the FBI database and searched a specific case file. He scanned the file quickly just to make sure he wasn't drawing baseless connections. "Daichi, you know I like tracking open cases and this one struck me as peculiar in the past. A serial killer that has been jumping from location to location and stalking a specific type of target. Blonde and IT forensic specialists. His M.O. is stalking his target and leaving a polaroid on their front doors with some message on the back written in red. Now, I am prob-"

Sugawara was interrupted mid sentence by the sound of Daichi knocking over the chair he had been sitting in. The clatter had started Sugawara and when he saw the look on Daichi's face he knew that the case was a match. "I'm gonna barf." Daichi's hand clung desperately over his mouth.


End file.
